1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems for the replacement of tires on a compact tractor, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a system for replacing standard industrial size tires with either standard agricultural size tires or standard turf size tires without changing the wheels upon which the tires are mounted.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Compact tractors are traditionally understood to be tractors having an engine of under 40 horsepower or sometimes up to about 50 horsepower and with a power takeoff on the tractor. The horsepower rating generally differentiates compact tractors from full size tractors, and the presence of the power takeoff generally differentiates compact tractors from lawn tractors.
Up until about 1993 most of the compact tractors sold in the United States were imported from Japan. Traditionally the compact tractor had been a very popular farm tractor in Japan where the farms are much smaller than they are in the United States. In the United States market, lawn tractors are very popular with large property owners who are not involved in full scale farming operations but who have substantial need for mowing, tilling of soil, and hauling. In about 1993 American tractor manufacturers began to assemble compact tractors in the United States. Three types of tire tread patterns have historically been available for compact tractors. These are industrial tires, agricultural tires, and turf tires. Historically, each of the three types of tires, industrial, agricultural and turf, have been designed for use with different wheel sizes which for one reason or another had previously been introduced with that type of tire.
Thus, it is typical for a specific compact tractor from a specific manufacturer that the industrial tires, agricultural tires, and turf tires which are specified for use with that tractor all are specified for use on different size wheel rims. Accordingly, when a customer wishes to change the type of tires on their tractor, it is also generally necessary for them to purchase a new set of wheels upon which to mount those tires.
To date, the only solution which has been proposed to avoid the need to replace wheels when changing the type of tire used on a compact tractor has been a system sold by Galaxy which simply put a turf tread pattern on a standard industrial size tire. That approach does not take into account the fact that for a given tractor, a tire with a turf style tread preferably has a different rolling circumference than does a tire with an industrial tread or an agricultural tread. Thus certain accessories which have been designed by other manufacturers for use with turf tires may not fit on a tractor equipped with the Galaxy turf tires.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a better solution to the expensive and time consuming task presently faced by most compact owners of purchasing an entire new wheel and tire system when they desire to change from their original equipment industrial style tires to either agricultural tires or turf tires.